


At the Way Station

by magicasen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21844426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicasen/pseuds/magicasen
Summary: After Tony snaps his fingers, the universe gives him a chance at one last, unexpected meeting.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 26
Kudos: 181





	At the Way Station

**Author's Note:**

> My riff on the deleted scene with Tony and teenage Morgan. I marked this as Choose Not To Warn because well, Tony's dead, but I don't think the story treats that with the finality that character death fics would normally warrant. 
> 
> Thank you to Mizzy for the very helpful beta ❤

It’s quiet after the snap.

It takes a moment to recalibrate and get his systems back online. The world’s bathed in orange, like an oversaturated sunset. There’s a lake in front of him. He can’t see where it ends. He’s not certain it does.

A decade ago, Tony would have found that unsettling. Now, he tries to tell himself that really, it’s sort of peaceful.

A singular gasp from behind him cuts through the solitary calm. Tony’s heart is pounding when he turns to see who’s here with him at the end of the world.

“—Cap?”

Steve’s on the deck of—oh, that’s Tony’s house.

“Cap?” Tony waves both arms. The afterlife is one thing, but if he’s going to wander around like a ghost the entire time, not being seen, not being known—“Hey!” 

Steve mouths something, and like he’s brought to life, bounds down the steps with a single leap.

“Tony!”

Tony’s feet pound against the shoreline when he sprints. It’s more jarring to have to come to an abrupt stop than keep going. But Steve’s made the same decision. A few feet separate them, but they watch each other like they’re on two sides of a gaping abyss, with neither of them sure how to cross.

Steve doesn’t look like he’s gone twelve rounds with Thanos and his army. He looks…good. He’s clean, his hair’s styled, he’s as perfect as ever. He’s wearing their time travel suit and is holding a briefcase instead of a shield. Tony’s wearing a t-shirt and comfortable pants, himself. He has some rules to learn about the afterlife, apparently.

Oh God. Don’t tell him he failed Steve too, and that’s why Steve’s here. The whole point of snapping was that only Tony would have to make a sacrifice. Strange told _him_ about the one timeline, he gave _him_ the choice. Not Steve, never Steve.

“Why are _you_ here?” Tony demands.

Steve’s eyes are locked onto his, and Tony can’t look away. He hasn’t ever been able to deny the full force of Steve’s attention the rare moments he has it. He watches as Steve gulps, the action rippling down his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I’m returning the stones,” Steve finally says. His voice is quieter than Tony’s used to. “Just like Bruce said we had to after undoing the Snap.”

“Right, back to their original times, to protect against forces of darkness, whatever that chick said.” Tony waves his hand around and breaks eye contact when he starts pacing. “I remember. But how’d that get you to end up here?”

Steve takes his sweet time replying. “I returned the Soul Stone to Vormir, and then…” His lips form the next words achingly tender, like they’re precious. “I saw you.”

Tony clears his throat, disconcerted. “I’m not sure I like that tone of voice, like you think I’m a figment of your imagination. How about _you’re_ a figment of _my_ imagination, huh?”

Steve’s eyes light up at that, and he tries and fail to hide his smile, wow, is that a rush to see, like staring at the goddamned sun. 

“Speaking of which, why is it _just_ you here? The whole point of our time heist was that we went in groups. You need someone. That’s how we do it. Together.” Tony stops in his tracks. His gaze drifts toward the unending horizon for several heartbeats, before he’s inevitably drawn back to Steve. “But we can’t even do that anymore. Because I’m dead.”

“Tony.” Steve’s voice hitches. Tony’s looked into those eyes and believed him with his whole soul. Tony’s looked into those eyes and called him a liar. Tony doesn’t know what he can find here, now.

He’s spent so much time wanting to know what could get under Steve’s unflappable surface. Was Steve just good at tamping down his emotions, or was he better at not letting them affect him? Steve’s expression crumples, and Tony realizes he desperately doesn’t want to know what can break Steve.

Tony tries to smile at Steve, appear somewhat reassuring, and then he thinks of Morgan. His stomach twists. He’ll never see her grow up. He’ll never see her go through school, or go to college, or get married, or maybe even have her own kids one day. He’ll never get to see her discover all of life’s roads to happiness.

But that’s nothing, right? It’s not about him. When he snapped his fingers, all he wanted was to leave her that most precious of gifts: a chance. He hopes it’s worthy of her. That’s what he meant, when he promised whatever it takes. 

Wow. He lays his palm on his chest. Is this how Yinsen felt, all those years ago? Tony doesn’t think he’s ever found a calm like this before.

“You’re—Tony, I’m sorry.”

“Did I do the right thing?” The instant Tony says it, he’s afraid. But Steve has to know the answer. He’s seen the aftermath. He has to tell Tony that…

Steve can’t look at him. “You saved us. You should be proud. You gave so many people so much happiness.”

“That’s nice.” It’s what Tony wanted to hear. “It doesn’t answer my question, though.”

“Yes.” Steve takes a deep breath. “Yes, you did the right thing.” He’s blinking fast, and his eyes are shining. Tony’s on the cusp of something, a problem he couldn’t solve for years. He thought he’d given up on understanding, but his heart races with the possibility. 

“But was it the right thing for you?”

“You’re the one who—who—” Steve can’t even say it. “So why does it matter what I think?” Steve’s not angry. He’s not questioning the unfairness of never being asked about his feelings. It’s honest, earnest, and whole-hearted. Tony finally understands the truth between them.

“Because it matters to me.” Once, Tony had told Steve he needed him. Now, Tony realizes that Steve needed him just as much in return. That the depth of their feelings had always been equal and opposite, and right here, right now, Steve still needs him. Before, that would have terrified Tony. Now, it’s a discovery. A paradox he’d deemed unsolvable, until he saw it in a different light.

“What do _you_ think, Cap? What did you want from me?”

Steve lets out a low, agonized sob. He reaches out, tugging at Tony’s hands until they’re chest-to-chest. There’s a second to pause, ask for permission, but that moment passes when Tony puts his palms against Steve’s cheeks.

Steve kisses him. Maybe the end of the world isn’t so bad after all. Tony pushes his fingers up through Steve’s hair, running through it while they kiss. There’s something to make up for, and Tony doesn’t know how that’s going to happen, but they’re doing their damned best to try. Tony wants to touch, rubbing his thumbs over Steve’s temples, squeezing the back of Steve’s neck, every new spot sparking shivers down Steve’s body. Steve, single-minded, stubborn man he is, just wants to kiss Tony.

Tony kisses and wants to memorize it all, every little touch that makes Steve gasp into his mouth, every caress that creates full-body shudders. Steve kisses like he needs everything in their moment to last him an entire lifetime.

Their foreheads fall against each other. Tony watches as a tear rolls down Steve’s cheek. Tony’s allowed to brush it away.

“I’m sorry,” Steve whispers. “I told you _together_ , and you’re here alone instead. I’m so sorry, Tony.”

“I made my choice,” Tony tells him. “You don’t get to take that away from me.” Steve starts, and Tony shushes him with a finger on his lips. “Don’t apologize again, it gets old.”

That wins him a small smile from Steve, who shakes his head and rubs his thumb at the corner of Tony’s eye to catch the stray tear. “Hey. Hey. Not you, too.”

Tony blinks another tear way. “Yes, me too. That’s love for you.”

Steve’s nostrils flare, and he takes a deep, rattling breath.

“Look, Cap. No, _listen,_ Cap. I made my choice, and nothing can change that. Nothing _should_ change that. But you’re not going to be beholden to it forever, okay? You have your own choices to make from here on. What will you do?”

Steve bites his lip. His face is turning red. Someone else might call him an ugly crier, but Tony just brushes his fingers across Steve’s cheek again. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s left for me anymore.”

“Well, you’re going to have to carve out something for yourself.”

“So easy for you to say. That’s who you _are._ Tony, you’re just so—”

“It _wasn’t_ easy, Cap. You can’t have thought that. It took me my whole life to find my answer: I am Iron Man. Who are you?”

Steve’s lips tremble as he shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“Well,” Tony says. “You go figure it out. You have the Infinity Stones, don’t you? Lots of ways to find out.”

The tears are falling freely down Steve’s face when Tony smiles at him.

“You go find your answer. Get a life just for yourself. And then come back and tell me how it was.” Tony pulls Steve’s head down to press his lips against his forehead. He gathers Steve in his arms. He squeezes his eyes shut, basking in the hug. “I’ll be here. The last time you ever have to close your pretty blue eyes, I’ll be there.”

Steve’s arms lock around him, sinking into him. “Okay. I trust you.”

They hold onto each other until there’s nothing left. Tony lowers his arms, blinking at the edge of the vast lake. He squints, because he swears that the water’s falling away. But no, that’s not it. Tony looks down at himself. The tips of his extremities are already translucent, and the rest of his body is quickly fading away.

Oh thank god, so this isn’t the real afterlife. Tony allows himself a small smile. Wherever he goes next, he’s going to have a lot of exploring to do. He looks forward to it.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/magicasen)!


End file.
